-15.55(-0.21%)

-63.19(-0.32%)

The giant awakes: Tesco fightback begins

Tesco, Britain's biggest grocer, halted its slide in customers and matched the market's growth for the first time since June 2011, new figures show.

Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel said Tesco's sales increased 3.3% in the 12 weeks to January 20, giving it a market share of 30.4% and putting its rivals under pressure.

"This improvement has put some pressure on the rest of the big four, with Morrisons in particular suffering," said Kantar director Edward Garner.

Morrisons saw its sales fall 1.7% over the same period as its market share declined by 0.6 percentage points. Sainsbury’s sales grew, by 3.2%, but its market share ticked down 0.1 percentage points to 16.9%.